Elephant fights were not the only sport associated with them. In this painting, we see polo being played on elephant backs. The pachyderms are bedecked especially for the occasion; silk overcloth, ornamentation of its neck and feet form the decoration. A couple of elephants can be seen frontally. They have two persons each on their backs, one being the 'mahout' or the trainer & the other being the player. Both are seated in different positions, the players with one leg on either side, in order to maintain balance required to maneuver the ball with the long sticks. The sport was no different from that played on horsebacks, but definitely slower. If the players ore displaying their competence with the hockey sticks, the mahouts prod the elephants with the gold goads held in their hands.
The background and the foreground are treated in an identical manner; not much distinguishes one from the other. The sky and the ground appear in same colour tones and similar brush strokes.
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